Exile
by ShamanBlade
Summary: After becoming the Shaman King, a new shaman appears before Yoh. His name is Exile, and he is prepared to fight Yoh. But Exile's goal is unclear and Yoh must fight him to find the truth. OC x OC. Occasional Yohna. First fic. R
1. Beginning

Hello, I am ShamanBlade9. This is my first fic here and I hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

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Exile

Chapter 1: Beginning

"Darkness. All people breath it, even those pure-hearted. It's all I've breathed all my life. I've been burdened with a broken existence, free of any source of light. It's that void that let me renew my skills as a shaman." The figure raised its right arm. A slightly- large gauntlet rested on the hand. Right then, a spirit entered the area. It was shaped in a warrior form, armed with a sword in its right hand and a shield in its left. "Excellent, my friend." The spirit floated closer to the figure.

"Are you ready, Lord Exile?" it said. The image nodded and both left the dark room.

"How have you been doing today, Suke?"

"Fine, my lord. The other spirits are also well. We conversed quite a bit today."

"Yes, have you gotten any word on last year's Tournament combatants?"

"The winner of the last Tournament was a boy named Yoh Asakura. He and his guardian Amidamaru were said to have fought beautifully." The shaman stopped and placed a hand on his chin.

"Asakura? Like the other one, what's his name, Hao?

"They are brothers."

"So the mighty Hao Asakura is dead; quite an unexpected surprise."

"Correct. I really thought that Hao could have killed him. Maybe that means I'm still too weak to fight."

"Oh, come on now, Suke," he replied, as he tossed his cloak behind him "the last time we fought we did marvelously!"

"Yes, Lord, but that was years ago, before your special training . . . "

"Good point." He continued to think. "How about a quick practice session? We can see how I've improved since then." The spirit's expression brightened.

"Really?"

"Of course. Just let me get ready." The shaman's right arm extended, and the spirit became a small, glowing sphere, sitting in the shaman's right hand. He then placed the spirit inside his left gauntlet, and cross his wrists so both gauntlets touched. The spirit's energy then flowed through to the other gauntlet. "It feels so easy to oversoul, now."

"Even I feel a sense of increased energy!" the spirit spoke, through the oversoul.

"Almost ready." He raised his arms, and a group of walking corpses emerges from a door behind him. The gauntlets began the glow, and a sword and shield grew from the bright light. "Okay, let's go." The kyonshi rushed at the shaman and full speed, but with one clean swipe, the oversoul sword cut them down to ashes.

"Lord! Your training has increased your strength exponentially, and mine as well!"

"Yes, Suke, my training was not a waste by any means." The shaman released the spirit from the oversoul. "Not bad."

"Will we be ready to complete our goal?" the full-bodied spirit asked.

"I don't know." he replied. "That Hao boy was no pushover, so this new Shaman King could be a bit of a challenge. I might need more training."

"No." a lone voice spoke. The two warriors turned around to find a young woman dressed in a deep blue kimono. She had dark blue hair as well. "Your training was way too long."

"Lady Kirol," the spirit said, "pleasant to see you again."

"Your always going on your training trips there!" she furiously said. "Someday you'll go in and never come out! You'll kill yourself!" The shaman realized that she was crying as she said that.

"Lord, shall I take my leave?" Suke politely said.

"Please." the shaman replied. Suke left the room, as the shaman walked over to the crying maiden.

"I promise I will not die in there." he said. The girl slowly looked up. "I promise." She quickly wrapped him in a tight hug, The shaman did not expect it, but he then began to feel his arms moving around her as well.

"Your training kills you, Exile. You're gonna die if you go in there again."

"I promise I will not die on you." They broke, and began to walk out of the room. "Suke!" he called. "Are you in here?" The spirit materialized in front of them.

"Yes, my Lord," He then realized Kirol holding onto his lord's arm and clinging to him. "and Lady."

"Suke, I would like you to check on the spirits again."

"Of course, Lord." Suke disappeared.

"I hope you're hungry." the shaman said to the maiden. He then showed her a table filled with food. She gasped.

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

"No occasion. I just felt like impressing you." She smiled at him and took her seat.

The two began eating. Halfway through the meal, Kirol spoke up.

"When will you begin your mission?"

"As soon as I'm prepared."

"Fine, as long as you don't have to return to that place to train." The shaman chuckled a bit.

"I'll do my best." He stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth.

"No really, that place is hell!"

"It's the quickest way to increase my shamanic skills." She glared at him. "I never said I was going back. You heard my promise; I will not go back there, at least not now. I'm smart enough to know that going there repeatedly in a short amount of time drains your life energy." Kirol quietly continued to eat.

"Just be careful with this mission of yours."

"Don't worry, I will."

After the meal, the two cleaned their plates and the table, then walked into the chamber where the spirits lived.

"Rather quiet today." Kirol said.

"Yes. They know that the time is approaching." He scanned the across the many ceremonial tablets that sat in the room. "Suke!" The ghost appeared in front of them.

"Lord Exile!" Suke pointed to a ceremonial tablet. "Brother Masaki; he has valuable information on the Tournament combatants." Masaki emerged from the tablet, in his traditional samurai form.

"Lord, the Shaman King, Yoh Asakura, is powerful with his guardian ghost, Amidamaru." Masaki explained.

"Yes, of course." the shaman said, thinking. "Is there any specific qualities that could have gotten him to Shaman King?"

"Yes. He is a quick learner and has integrated with Amidamaru many times before. He has learned Amidamaru's skills through his sharing of his body, and can use them effectively through his oversoul."

"An integrator?" Kirol said.

"Integration is one of the easiest shamanic skills to learn, plus it's the weakest."

"We haven't integrated in many years, correct, Lord Exile?" Suke asked.

"No, we haven't integrated since I was but a child." He crossed his arms. "But why would someone need to integrate so much? For becoming Shaman King, he'd have to know oversoul."

"He did." Masaki said. "He even went through the Tunnel of Tartarus." The male shaman quickly caught attention.

"The Tunnel of Tartarus?"

"Yes, Lord."

"Masaki, where does this boy live?"

"In the town of Funbari, Lord Exile."

"Okay." The shaman made a gesture signaling Masaki that he could leave. Masaki returned to his memorial.

"Tartarus?" Kirol asked.

"Yes, similar to my training regiment, but not as bad as the real thing. It just a notch under, though." He smiled. "He might be tougher than I originally had hoped. Perfect." His dark black cloak was passed behind him as he walked out.

"Where are you going?" Kirol asked.

"To bed. Suke, Kirol, get plenty of sleep. Our mission begins tomorrow. We will make a quick detour before we go to Funbari. Good night." He then disappeared into his room. Suke and Kirol stood there, slightly confused.

"Lord Exile is a puzzling person, isn't he, Lady Kirol?" Suke spoke.

"Yes, he is." Kirol turned around toward the hall. "But he knows what he's doing. Get some sleep, Suke. Tomorrow we begin our journey." Suke nodded and disappeared into his memorial tablet.

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There wasn't much of Yoh and the others in this first chapter. They'll definitely be in the next one, though. Review please and thank you for reading. 


	2. A Challenging Reunion

I have returned with a new chapter. Thanks to review lord for the review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

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Exile: Chapter 2- A Challenging Reunion

"So how has life been after the Shaman Fight, Yoh?" a short child asked.

"Same old training, same old chores, same old Anna." he replied. "Who would have thought that I had to continue training, Manta, even after becoming Shaman King?"

"I seriously don't know." The two darted down the street, Yoh on his feet, and Manta on his small bicycle. "So much for your easy, work-free life." Yoh sighed and kept running.

After a few hours, the two soon approached the inn where Yoh lived. "Hey, Yoh, when is that reunion of yours? You know, when all the other shamans come over after a year?" Yoh calmly continued to run, until he realized what was just asked.

"Oh my god! The reunion! It's tonight!" Yoh yelled. "Anna told me to pick up food at the store for the reunion before I come back, or I'll have to do all of today's training again!" Yoh then rushed back out into the city. Manta watched Yoh dash away.

"Smart move, Yoh."

After about 10 minutes, everyone was already at the inn. Manta walked in the door.

"Hey, Manta!" a blue-haired Ainu said.

"Hi, Horo Horo."

"Hi, Manta." said the pink-haired girl sitting next to him.

"Hey, Tamao."

"Hi, Manta." said a blue-haired girl sitting across from Horo Horo. Next to her was a silent, black-haired boy.

"Hey, Pirika. Ren."

"Greetings, Manta." said a pompudaured man sitting in the back.

"Ryu."

"Hello, Manta." said two young shamans, a boy with green hair, and a girl with silver hair.

"Lyserg and Jeanne. Hi."

On the far end of the room was a blonde girl with a red bandana. "Hi Anna, Yoh said he'll be back soon."

"He better be." she replied. Right then, a tired Yoh burst through the door with groceries in hand.

"I'm here, and I have food!" he said. He walked to the kitchen and put the food on the table. Then, he walked into the room where everybody was, and fell asleep on the ground. Anna narrowed her eyes and stepped on his sleeping head. Yoh woke up quickly and stood up.

"It's impolite to sleep in front of guests." she said. Yoh sighed and sat down.

"Where's Faust and Chocolove?" he asked.

"Couldn't make it." Horo Horo replied.

"Aw, too bad. Well, how have you and your sister been doing, Horo Horo?"

"Fine, just training. Nothing....but training." he said, with a tear.

"Same here." Pirika then grabbed Horo Horo's ear.

"Yup, he's gonna keep training until he's the strongest shaman in the world. Right, big brother?" Pirika said, with a tug.

"Yes! Yes!" Horo Horo got out of her grasp and turned to Ren "How about you, spike-head? Have you been getting stronger?"

"Of course." he replied. He then realized his head was being touched. He grabbed Horo Horo's hand with one hand, and drew his kwan dao with his other. "You want to fight?"

"Sure, whatever." Horo Horo replied, as he drew his snowboard.

"Horo Horo! Ren! No fighting!" Tamao cut in. The two combatants sat down, but each still shot angry glares at the other for the rest of the conversation. Yoh turned to look at Ryu.

"How 'bout you, Ryu? Training?"

"Yes, chief."

"Where?"

"Wherever. I'm a wandering shaman." Yoh turned to Lyserg and Jeanne.

"How about you two?" Yoh asked.

"We're fine. We haven't been training as much as the rest of you, but we are not falling behind at all." Lyserg said. Jeanne nodded.

"I think you two are doing something, and it's not training." Yoh said with a laugh. Lyserg blushed a bit. Jeanne looked away with a small smile.

"Fine, you caught us." Lyserg said.

"Thought you two were a little close tonight." Ryu said.

"So how about our favorite inn hostess?" Horo Horo comically asked. Yoh stood up and walked to Anna. Anna looked up and saw Yoh's arm around her shoulder.

"Anna? She's just as bossy as ever." Yoh said, with a smile. A second later, Yoh was on the ground with a red mark on his face and a foot on his back. "See, just as I told you." Anna turned toward everyone, gave them a sharp glare, then stared at Yoh, who was still on the ground.

"Yoh, you just tripled your training for tomorrow." she coldly said, as she lifted her foot. Yoh sighed as he got up.

"Man, you got beat, Yoh." Horo Horo said.

"You want some, blue-hair?" Anna said to Horo Horo, as she cracked her knuckles.

"No, thank you." he replied, with a sweatdrop.

Manta then came out of the kitchen with a tray of food.

"Food's ready!" he said, as he set the tray on the table.

"All right!" Horo Horo yelled, as he began to dive into the food. Fortunately, his sister grabbed him before he could begin to eat.

"Moron." both Pirika and Ren said. They stared at each other, then immediately looked away. Yoh laughed a bit, then began to eat.

"This is great, Manta." he said, as he continued to eat.

"Aw, it's nothing." he embarrassingly replied.

"More please." Horo Horo handed his plate to Manta.

"I just brought it out a minute ago! How could you eat it that fast?"

"More please." Manta sighed and went back into the kitchen.

After long talks and many drinks, everyone decided it was time to go.

"Thanks for having us." Tamao politely said.

"Yeah, it was great!" Horo Horo said.

"Yes, thank you." Pirika said.

"It was fine." Ren said, in his own way.

"Thank you." Lyserg and Jeanne said.

"Wonderful." Ryu said.

As everyone was about to leave, a cloaked figure burst through the door and feel to the ground. A large patch of blood was on his back.

"Oh my goodness!" Tamao screamed. Yoh ran to the figure and lifted its head. It was Silva.

"Silva!" Yoh yelled. He checked Silva's pulse. "Don't worry, he's alive. Manta call Faust!"

"Got it!" Manta ran to the phone.

"Silva, what happened?" Yoh asked. Silva opened his eyes.

"Yoh, it.....was.....a shaman." Silva weakly spoke.

"Who?!"

"I don't know.....he.....infiltrated Patch Village....and...he wants to fight you." Silva then passed out, and the Oracle Pager in Yoh's room began to beep. Yoh rushed upstairs and read the reading on the Oracle Pager.

Place: Funbari Inn

Time: 6:00 PM Tomorrow

Opponent: Exile

"Exile..." Yoh said to himself. Manta and Anna ran upstairs and into the room.

"Yoh, what happened? What did the Oracle Pager say?" Manta asked.

"It's a Shaman Fight."

"Against who?" Anna asked.

"Someone named Exile." Yoh replied. "Did you hear, Amidamaru?" Amidamaru then appeared behind him.

"Yes, Lord Yoh. I heard." Amidamaru said.

"This Exile hurt Silva. He will pay for hurting my friends to get to me."

"Yoh..." Anna said. Yoh walked toward the door and picked up Harusame, which was sitting next to the door.

"He will not get away with this." Yoh said, as he left the room.

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Cliffhanger present. Review please.  



	3. Detour

Back with Chapter 3.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

Exile: Chapter 3- Detour

Exile, Kirol, and Suke left their home before sunrise, each ready and full of ambition for their mission. They crossed the wide field sprawling from their plateau home.

"I haven't left on a shaman journey in years." the shaman said. "It kind of feels nostalgic in its own right." Kirol shot looks of concern to the shaman behind his back.

"Lord Exile, shall I scout above to pinpoint our destination?" Suke asked.

"Please." he replied. Suke flew high and viewed the vast wasteland ahead

"Exile, I have a question." Kirol said.

"What?" the shaman replied.

"What was the detour you spoke of?"

"Oh, of course." He pulled out a map of the area, and pointed to a small village in the desert not too far from their current location. "This is Patch Village. This is where I wanted to stop before we head to Funbari."

"Patch Village? Oh yeah, I remember." Kirol said. "The village of the native shaman people, the Patch, and the headquarters for the Shaman Tournament."

"Yes." He put away his map. "I want to know more about this Yoh kid." The two continued to walk across the plains. After a few hours of walking, Suke darted down from the sky.

"Lord, the desert is about one hundred miles ahead."

"Excellent."

For the next few days, they walked across the desert to Patch Village, regardless of the heat.

"Exile, are we there yet?" Kirol whined.

"We are." he replied with a sweatdrop. In front of them was the shaman village of Patch. White cloaked shamans walked between dwellings with spirits following them, nearly all of them nature spirits. "Suke, Kirol, wait here. I'll find someone to help us." He walked to one of the shamans. "Excuse me," The shaman turned around. He had black hair and had five spirits with him.

"Yes?" he replied.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but could I speak with your chieftain?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but our chieftain is busy right now." The shaman turned around, but the visitor did not give up.

"It's a bit of an emergency." he said, as he spun the Patch around.

"Sir, the Shaman Fight ended one year ago. Our chieftain cannot deal with outsider shaman such as yourself right now."

"Exile, let's go." Kirol said. "I don't think they want to help us find this Yoh Asakura kid." The Patch then turned around and got their attention.

"Did you say 'Yoh Asakura'"? The visitor raised an eyebrow, then confidently stared at the Patch.

"She did say 'Yoh Asakura'. Do you know him by chance?"

"What do you want with him?"

"Before I tell you, you need to tell me everything you know about him." The Patch instantly oversouled his spirits.

"I will not tell a fiend like you anything without a fight!" He rushed towards the visitor. In a split second, the black-cloaked shaman dodged his dash.

"Very well, then. I will fight you." He extended his hand out. "Hope you're not too rusty, Suke."

"I will not fail you, Lord Exile!" Suke said, as he went into spirit-ball mode.

"Suke! Integrate with the gauntlets!" He placed the spirit into his gauntlets, just quick enough to evade another charging attack from the Patch. Then, a long staff with a sharp, metal blade emerged from the oversoul flame.

"Lord," Suke spoke, from the oversoul, "my kwan dao skills have grown a bit weaker since the last time we've battled like this."

"Don't worry, Suke." he replied. "Your skills should be more than enough to take down this joker." The Patch was now high in the air, using his bird spirit to fly.

"Take this!" he dive-bombed toward the visitor, attempting to inflict a harsh blow to his body, but the alien shaman, instead of evading, blocked the attack head-on. The clash brought the Patch and the visitor inches away.

"Listen," he said, with a smirk. "Tell me all you know about Yoh Asakura, and we can end this painlessly." This made the Patch rush into his front in rage, but the alien shaman just dashed behind him and struck his bladed weapon into his back. A huge puddle of blood formed on the Patch's back as he fell to the ground, unconscious. The visitor disintegrated his oversoul, and his guardian's spirit emerged. "I think that should take care of him."

"But we didn't get any information about the Yoh kid." Kirol said.

"Oh yeah, information." the visitor embarrassingly said. "Oh well, we know the important stuff. And besides, he was not the reason we came here." He walked toward another Patch and grabbed him by the throat. "Where is your chieftain's dwelling?" The Patch pointed his index finger to a large housing in the village. The shaman dropped the Patch and walked over to the dwelling.

Inside, the chieftain sat and stared at the marking on the stone wall in front of him, markings of the Shaman Tournament.

"So you have come, visitor." the chieftain spoke.

"Greetings, Chieftain, my name is Exile." he said. "I am in need of the Great Spirit's assistance."

"Only the Shaman King can use the Great Spirit's power."

"No, I ask for the activation of the Oracle Pager." The chieftain's eyes grew a bit wider.

"The Oracle Pager cannot be used outside of the Shaman Tournament, brave warrior. Those are the Great Spirit's orders."

"Why did I see this coming?" he said, with a hint of impatience. "What if I told you I plan to be the next Shaman King?" The chieftain didn't move or change his expression.

"Your power is great, and your mind is strong, but your heart has darkness within it."

"Listen to me! I must face the current Shaman King in battle! It cannot be a true Shaman Fight unless the Oracle Pager is used!"

"By the orders of the Great Spirit, I cannot let you use that power." The visitor clenched his fists.

"You have one last chance to show me the Great Spirit's messengers." The chieftain did not answer. "Fine, then." The chieftain was then struck with an oversoul sword. He fell to the ground, unconscious and bleeding. The oversouled spirit, Suke, was then exorcized out of the gauntlets used to strike the chieftain. "Pathetic."

"Lord Exile, how will we take control of the Oracle Pager?" Suke asked.

"I will simply talk to the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit respects all shamans."

"What if the Great Spirit doesn't agree with you?" Kirol asked. The shaman stared at the near-death body of the chieftain.

"As long as I have the Patch people, he will." They exited the dwelling. The entire Patch population stood in front of them with furious looks on their faces.

"You monster!" one yelled.

"Why did you do it?" another yelled. The visitor just kept his emotionless expression and walked past them. Many of the villagers attacked him from the sides and back, but he just brushed them off with a quick oversoul.

"Don't worry; they're still alive." he said to the villagers. He continued to walk, until he stopped in the center of the village. He continued his oversoul sword with a dash of fatigue. He stood still for about a minute, but then, he places the tip of his oversoul sword on the desert ground. A pattern formed in the sand: a circle with various symbols in the center.

"Come to me." he said under his breath. "COME TO ME!" He raised his arms as he disintegrated his oversoul and shouted to the sky. A bright light shown around him as he stood in the center of the circle. Kirol, Suke, and the Patch stared as his body disappeared in the bright light.

"Exile!" Kirol shouted. All eyes were narrowed from the light, except for the visitor, whose eyes were as wide as they could get.

"Yes.....let my message be heard." he quietly spoke. The light disappeared. The shaman lied on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Kirol and Suke dashed toward his body. The shaman then opened his eyes and stood up.

"Exile, are you okay?" Kirol said, worryingly.

"I'm fine." he said, as he brushed himself off. He looked toward Kirol and Suke. "Let's get going. The message has been sent."

Please review my story.


	4. Yoh vs Exile

Thanks for the reviews. We'll continue now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

After reading the Oracle Pager, Yoh trained non-stop until the next day. He refused to sleep, something most thought he'd never do. He didn't eat much. Everyone was worried.

The next day, Yoh stood in front of the inn, waiting for his challenger. Everyone stood behind him, also anxiously standing to see the challenger.

"Hey, maybe he's not coming." Manta said.

"So, he just attacks Silva for no reason?" Anna rhetorically questioned.

"He'll come." Yoh said. "He has too."

Right then, a dark shadow appeared on the road leading to the inn. With it was another shadow and a floating figure as well. They slowly came into view. A black-cloaked man with brown hair appeared. Next to him was a blue-haired girl and a warrior spirit. Yoh cringed at him, sick at his reckless behavior of injuring Silva.

"Are you Yoh Asakura?" the shaman asked. Yoh narrowed his eyes.

"Yes." Yoh said, as he showed the Oracle Pager. "Did you send me this challenge?" The figure nodded. A white-cloaked man came out of the inn. The challenger raised an eyebrow.

"Yoh! Be careful!" he said. "This man is not afraid of killing you!"

"Silva! You should be inside resting!" Yoh yelled.

"Impressive, Patch." the challenger said. "You somehow survived. I could have sworn you'd have died of blood loss by now, especially if you travel this far from Patch Village." Silva narrowed his eyes at Exile, as he was led back inside by Ryu, Pirika, and Tamao.

"Shut up!" Yoh yelled. "You nearly killed Silva!"

"But I didn't, did I?" he replied, with an emotionless expression. Yoh clenched his fists tighter. Pirika and Tamao moved Silva back to his bed inside to rest. "Before we begin our battle, we need to have proper introductions. My name is Exile."

"I'm Suke, Lord Exile's guardian ghost." Suke said.

"Hi, I'm Kirol." Kirol quietly said, with a wave.

"Dude, she's hot." Horo Horo whispered.

"Yes, she's beautiful." Ryu replied. The two rushed over to Kirol. Exile quickly formed his oversoul and cut them off with his oversoul sword.

"Don't touch her." he said, sternly. Kirol blushed a bit at Exile's defense. Exile turned toward her as Horo and Ryu backed up to their original positions. "You okay?" Kirol nodded and blushed more. Exile cracked a smile. "Good."

Yoh widened his eyes. "How did you do that?" he said.

"Do what?" Exile said.

"You oversouled without any weapon. You just made a weapon out of the oversoul." Exile confidently smiled.

"Simple." He disintegrated his oversoul. "My spirit does not specialize in a single weapon. My guardian ghost, Suke, has used many weapons throughout his lifetime. He is not limited. Neither am I. Instead of being forced to haul around many real weapons, Suke and I integrate through these gauntlets I wear." He raised his hand. "I can then manipulate the oversoul shape into a true weapon." He integrated with Suke, and formed his oversoul sword. "Like I said, simple." He disintegrated his oversoul again. Yoh was astounded at his technique. He couldn't believe that it was even possible. "So, shall we begin the battle?" Yoh straightened up.

"Amidamaru!" he yelled. "Into Harusame!" Yoh formed his oversoul quickly.

"Suke!" the challenger yelled. "Into the gauntlets!" Exile formed his as well. A blade appears from the glowing gauntlets he wore. "I'll begin with this." Yoh narrowed his eyes and formed a defensive stance. Exile did the same. Yoh then rushed, head on, towards Exile's defensive posture.

"This is for Silva!" He slashed his sword at him, but Exile blocked it easily. He then shot a left hook at Yoh, causing him to fly back. Gasps were heard from the spectators. Yoh fortunately landed on his feet. Exile calmly walked toward him. Yoh charged in again, this time doing a quick dash behind him. Yoh slashed again at him. Exile shot a block behind himself without looking, then countered with a slash. Yoh found himself on the ground again, this time bleeding from his arm. Without thinking, Yoh leaped up and nailed a thrust toward Exile. Not prepared for an attack like that, Exile's defense was not enough to prevent the attack from moving toward his body. He was stabbed right in the chest. A fountain of blood emerged, leaving a dark spot on the shaman's clothing. Kneeled on the ground panting, Exile clutched his chest.

"It's been so long since I've felt that. I must be getting weaker." he said. Yoh slowly walked toward him. "It's time to advance a level." Exile's oversoul sword began to morph. A long staff with a blade at the tip was formed out of the spirit energy. "This should do." Yoh was not impressed.

"I've fought against Ren many times. I think I can handle a kwan dao." he said.

"Really?"

"Ye-" Before Yoh could finish, he was slashed from behind with a metal blade. Blood sprayed out of his back as he fell to the ground. Exile walked to him, watching the boy struggle to get up.

"Get up, I know you can do better." he said. Yoh slowly rose, and got bludgeoned by kwan dao strikes.

On the sidelines, everyone was in awe at Exile's skills, especially Ren. He stood dumbstruck at the fight moves that Exile was pulling off. He stared and kept his gaze on every one of Exile's attacks.

Yoh rose from every blow, despite the intensity. Exile shot slashes and thrusts everywhere. Yoh dodged a few shots, but a counterattack was already on its way when he did. Exile always let Yoh rise; he wanted a fair fight.

"That's it!" Yoh rose from a harsh blow. His oversoul grew. Exile did not move.

"Finally." Exile said with a smirk. Yoh rushed in and attacked Exile head on. Exile was about to dodge, but he was too slow. Yoh's attack barrage formed red lines all over Exile's body. The shaman fell, bleeding everywhere. Kirol gasped. Yoh stood before him. He had the most serious expression on his face. Cringing in pain, Exile's oversoul began to weaken.

"Give up." Yoh said. Exile slowly rose.

"No. I still have one more move." His oversoul flared and morphed into another new shape. This shape was surprisingly large, almost the height of Exile himself. The width of the weapon was large as well. "This is my finest weapon."

"What is it?"

"A sword, of course."

"Rather big, don't you think?"

"No, I don't." Exile rushed in and struck Yoh once more. Yoh dodged it partially, getting a minor cut. Exile moved into a defensive stance. "This blade is not a normal sword."

"I can tell." Yoh said. The two struck at each other, locking up in a fierce clash. Exile's large oversoul showed over Yoh's, but neither could be seen from the sidelines: just a bright light. Everyone shielded their eyes or looked away from the shining light.

"Finally. This is what I've come to expect from the Shaman King who survived Tartarus." Yoh's eyes widened. He broke the lock and stepped back.

"What do you mean?" he said.

"I thought that going through hell itself would have made you stronger than how you were fighting at the start." Both fighters' oversouls were weakening.

"Why are you telling me this?" Yoh asked.

"Because he went through Tartarus as well." A blonde girl stepped in.

"What do you mean Anna?" Yoh asked, his oversoul still active.

"This guy obviously has been through Tartarus." Anna spoke, in her normal, icy tone. "How else could he have put up that much of a fight?" Exile stepped forward. Kirol ran down from the sidelines.

"You are close, Miss. I did go through hell like he did. But, his training was not as far as hell could go." Everyone's eyes widened, except Kirol's. "I went through some of the harshest training in my life to become this great of a shaman."

"What is harsher than Tartarus?" Yoh asked.

"Tartarus may be hell, but hell has levels. Yours was the first level." Oversouls still flared. "What I went through was much worse: as far as hell could go. No senses. In Tartarus, you relied on your own shamanic powers instead of your human senses. I had nothing. No senses whatsoever. This place is so horrific, more than one second in there could kill someone, but they would not be crossing over. No, they would be sent to a place of sheer darkness, neither heaven or hell." Yoh just stood there, oversoul burning. "But, I am talking away when we still have a battle to continue." He moved into a battle stance. Yoh just stood there.

"Why?" he said.

"Why what?" Exile moved out of his fighting position.

"Why do you want to fight?" Yoh said. "You went through hell. I can't fight someone who has suffered so much torture without knowing why they must fight."

"I fight for my own reasons."

"No you don't." Yoh said. "I can tell. You aren't fighting just for fighting." Exile cringed.

"I cannot tell you." Exile replied.

"I won't fight anymore until you tell me your cause." Exile's mental strain caused his oversoul to weaken.

"Fine." His oversoul flared again. "Right now, there is a disruption in the balance of shamanic energy. Between the human realm and the spirit realm, there is a boundary. Spirits live on both sides, depending on whether or not a spirit has crossed over. This boundary is weakening. Spirits that have already rested in peace are returning to the human world. These spirits have witnessed heaven before, and after returning, they wish to return to it. They want to tear down the barrier."

"So what?" Ren said from the sidelines.

"Yeah." HoroHoro said. "Won't they just go back to heaven?"

"Idiots. The barrier just separates the living and dead. The dead is divided in two." Exile said.

"Heaven and hell." Anna said.

"Yes. These spirits from heaven will tear down the barrier, releasing the hellion spirits into the living world. The spirits from hell will have suffered torture for as long as they know. They won't feel like being nice. They'll want one thing: devastation." Everyone was in awe. "That is why I need the Great Spirit's power to resolve this conflict."

"Let me help." Yoh said. Exile raised an eyebrow.

"Help? How can you help?" he replied.

"I am the Shaman King. I can help you save both realms." Exile tiredly laughed.

"Idiot. You don't even know how to get to the other side, let alone save it."

"I'll figure something out." Yoh laughed and outstretched his hand. "What do you say?" Exile hesitantly stood.

"We are in a battle." he said. "Just ending it would mean a disorder by the Great Spirit." Then, a white-cloaked man burst outside.

"Yoh!" he yelled.

"Silva!" Yoh yelled back. "What are you doing here? You should be healing."

"I heard it all." he said. "This fiend may have nearly killed me, but his cause is just." Exile laughed a bit.

"Patch, you forgive me even after I murdered your chieftain? How nice." he said, with a sense of derogatory.

"I do not accept your past actions as right, but I do wish to save the realms." Exile raised an eyebrow.

"What a sport." Exile said. Silva clenched his fists, but reverted back to his solid posture.

"If you both agree to a draw, then the match will be over." Silva said. Exile and Yoh exchanged glances, then agreed to a draw. The tired shamans disintegrated their oversouls.

"So who is the Shaman King, Silva?" Yoh said, with a smile. "I've never had the final match be a draw before."

"You are the Shaman King, Yoh." he replied. Exile glanced over his shoulder, but then ignored the comment. Kirol ran over to Exile, who was barely standing.

"Are you okay?" she said, worryingly.

"I'm fine." he said, as he continued to walk.

"No, you're not!" Kirol yelled. "You are barely standing! You need to rest!" Kirol threw Exile's arm around her neck and hauled him inside. Suke followed.

"Lucky guy." Yoh said. "His girl doesn't make him run laps after a Shaman Fight." A swift slap drew Yoh's head down. "OW!" he yelled. Anna stood behind him, angry as ever. Silva, though still rather tired, chuckled at their behavior. Everyone else joined in, as they moved inside the house.

R & R plz.


	5. Recovery

Sorry for the long wait. I have the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.

* * *

Kirol did her best to make Exile rest. He was exhausted from the long oversoul and fell asleep rather quickly. Surprisingly, Anna let Yoh take a quick nap, but Yoh woke from it quickly. Exile was still asleep. Kirol worryingly sat next to him. Everyone else just stared at her. After a while, Yoh spoke up. 

"Still waiting?" he said, with a smile.

"Yes." she quietly replied.

"So, what's up between you two?" Horo Horo said. "I mean, why do you guys hang out?" Kirol paused.

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" everyone said.

"It's a bit personal."

"We won't tell." Pirika said. "The only one who will even think about telling is my brother, and I'll make sure he doesn't." She glared at Horo Horo who hid behind Tamao. Tamao flushed a bit. Kirol sighed and stood up.

"When I was a child, I lived in a small village. Very few were shamans, but we all could see ghosts. We respected ghosts as we did people, and we all lived happily amongst them. But then, one day, a horrible event took place. Spirits that were alien to our village began to possess people relentlessly. The possessed people destroyed the homes and eventually incapacitated the hosts. Everyone died and the village was destroyed. The spirits fled and I was the last survivor."

"Wow." Yoh said.

"I was left alone, wandering the land. I kept searching for some salvation, but a few nights later, I ran into the same specters who devastated the village. I was trapped. But, then someone burst out and attacked the spirits, forcing them to be sent back to where they came from. I knew he was a shaman because he attacked with an oversoul. Exile was that shaman." Everyone was quiet. "I swore to help Exile forever. He told me that I didn't have to, but I just felt right being by him."

"He is a bit protective of you." Lyserg said.

"I know. I'm not a shaman, so I can't fight. Exile does all the fighting."

"I can tell." Yoh said. He still felt a bit tired from the battle.

"Exile is not as serious as you may think. Back at our home, he actually laughs." she said, with a giggle.

"So you live together?" Horo Horo asked.

"Of course." she said. She looked to the sleeping Exile and turned back toward everyone else. "Exile is a good person. We all will do all we can to save the realms." After she spoke, Exile sat up from the bed. Kirol looked at him and gasped. "Exile! You should be resting!" Exile slid the blankets down, showing his bandaged chest.

"I'm fine. I got enough rest for today." he said. "Thanks for caring though." Kirol flushed a bit.

"It was nothing." she said. Exile moved out of the bed and stood up. He looked at Kirol.

"You just can't help but worry about me, can you?" he said.

"......you never know when to stop fighting." she said.

"Heh.....guess I don't." he said, with a laugh. "Suke." Suke materialized behind him. Exile turned toward everybody else. "You all haven't met my guardian ghost, have you? This is Suke."

"Greetings, everyone." Suke formally said.

"Suke is a warrior." Exile said. "As I said, he doesn't rely on one weapon."

"Cool." Yoh said. "You have to see this Amidamaru." Amidamaru appeared behind Yoh.

"A multi-faceted guardian ghost?" he said. "You were quite a powerful opponent."

"Thank you." Suke said. "You're a samurai, correct?"

"Yes."

"You were very good as well."

"Thank you."

The ghosts continued to talk. Bason and the other spirits joined in later. Yoh, Exile, and the others sat down in the living room.

"I don't presume we've met the rest of you all." Exile said.

"Yes, we haven't." Kirol said, with a smile.

"You know me; I'm Yoh." Yoh said.

"I'm Horo Horo." the blue-haired boy said.

"Are you an Ainu?" Exile asked.

"Yup." He pointed to a blue-haired girl next to him."That's my sister Pirika." The girl waves and smiled. A small spirit appeared. "That's my guardian ghost, Kororo." Kororo smiled and flew next to Horo Horo. "Kororo is a Koro-Pokkur."

"She's adorable!" Kirol said.

"Koro-Pokkur..." Exile said.

"My name is Ren." a spike-haired boy said. "Your kwan dao skills were not bad."

"Not bad?" Exile said. "'Not bad' must mean 'enough to make you all scared to death of me'." He laughed a bit. Ren scoffed at him. A giant Chinese warrior ghost appeared.

"I am Bason, Master Ren's guardian ghost." it said.

"You look strong." Suke said.

"I am."

"My name is Tamao." a pink-haired girl said. She seemed shy.

"Where's your guardian?" Kirol asked.

"I was told not to bring them."

"Yeah, Konchi and Ponchi are bigger party animals than I am!" a tall man said.

"And you are..." Exile asked.

"I am Ryu of the Wooden Sword, but you call just call me Ryu." A sinister-looking spirit appeared.

"I am Tokageroh." it said.

"My name is Lyserg Diethel." a green-haired boy said. "And this is Jeanne." He pointed to a silver-haired girl next to him. She nodded in greeting. A small fairy appeared. "This is Morphin, my guardian."

"Where is her guardian?" Kirol asked. Jeanne shook her head.

"Her guardian was unable to come." Lyserg said.

"Oh." Kirol said. She noticed a blonde girl standing in the corner. "Who is she?" Yoh walked toward her.

"This is Anna." Yoh said, putting his arm around her waist. "She's my fiancee."

"Fiancee?" Exile asked.

"Yup." Yoh said. A fist rained down onto his head, grounding him.

"How dare you touch me!" Anna yelled, as she sat down. "Don't mind Yoh's ignorance."

"Well, she seems nice." Exile said. He turned toward Yoh, who was now sitting by everyone else. "I must ask you something." Exile said.

"Go ahead." he replied.

"You are the sibling of Hao Asakura, correct?" Yoh paused.

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason. Just clearing something up. But, we must plan how to seal the hole between the realms right now." Exile seriously said. "I can take you all to the breaking point."

"Breaking point?" Yoh asked.

"The location of the fracture." Exile said.

"We can deal with that tomorrow." Yoh calmly said. "Tonight, we need to prepare."

"Point taken." Exile said. "Then it's decided. We will leave at dawn. Everyone get some sleep."

"Exile, where will we sleep?" Kirol asked. Exile seriously did not know.

"You can stay here." Yoh said. "We have plenty of beds."

"Are you sure we won't be a problem?" Kirol politely asked.

"Of course." Yoh replied. Anna scoffed at the idea a bit, but allowed them to stay. Everybody walked upstairs to their rooms and got to sleep.

* * *

Thanks to Glenn, TrigunChic, YamiandAnzu4ever, and everyone else who has reviewed my stories thus far. I appreciate the help. R & R plz. 


	6. Into the Light

Hello. I'm back with another chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King

* * *

The next day, everyone woke up bright and early...except Yoh, who tried to get some extra minutes before the harsh wake-up from Anna. Loaded up with their supplies, they stood outside the inn, ready for their journey. 

"Everyone ready?" Yoh said. Everybody nodded.

"Then let's go!" Exile said.

Under the guidance of Exile, the group traveled to a forested area outside of the city. Continuing at a brisk pace, Exile slashed through the thick grasses with his oversoul sword. The shredded vegetation laid in their recent path as they walked through the forest. The cool forest breezes brushed against the travelers' faces. Soon, the green trees disappeared from their views, opening a clearing. In the clearing was a small village.

"What's that?" Yoh asked.

"Hmm...not sure." Exile said. "I didn't know that a village was here." The group walked into the village, scanning the area. The huts were clean, almost brand new.

"This place seems like it was built yesterday." Ren said.

"Yeah." Horo Horo said. Exile glanced toward one of the dwellings, noticing a spear-like weapon leaning near the entrance. He reached down to grab it, but he was stopped by a clean metal spike rearing near his neck.

"Heh...I was right." Exile said. He rapidly backed away and flared his oversoul. "Come on out. All of you." A huge group of villagers with marked faces emerged from the dwellings, each one armed with a different, primitive weapon. The other shaman activated their oversouls.

"Who are you?" Yoh asked. A man dressed in a dark grey cloak emerged from one of the huts.

"We are the worshipers of the light." he said. "We protect the sacred abyss."

"I guess he's the chief." Exile said.

"What sacred abyss?" Ren angrily said.

"The abyss of the light." he said.

"How can there be the abyss of the light?" Horo Horo asked. The cloaked figure drew a glowing weapon shaped like a spear, pointing it at Horo Horo's face.

"Don't question the power of the seal." he said. "It will send you to hell."

"So you're a shaman too?" Lyserg asked.

"Take us to this seal." Exile said.

"Why should I taint the seal with your presence?" the chief said. Exile pointed his sword at the chief.

"Show us." he said. The shaman walked to the chief. The chief raised his weapon to Exile. Exile slashed the weapon out of the chief's hand. "I have no time for games. Lives are at stake here." The other villagers rushed in, trying to attack all of the shaman. Yoh and the others fended them all off, sending them all to the ground, barely conscious. "Show us this seal now." Exile said. The chief was sweating hard, but eventually turned around.

"Follow me." he said, walking into a nearby hut. The shaman disintegrated their oversouls and followed the chief. Inside the hut was a glowing light. "We worship this light, for it gives us the will to fight, and eternal well-being."

"Listen, before we continue, you need to know what this light is." Exile said. "This is a portal to the Spirit World. You are a shaman, so you should know."

"Spirit World?" But how?" the chief said.

"Spirits from hell are emerging from this portal." Yoh said. "We have to seal it."

"But, if we seal the light, our village will die."

"No it won't." Exile said. "Your village will be saved. These hellion spirits will kill everyone, including your village." The chief was speechless.

"Just trust us. We can save everyone." Yoh said.

"...I will trust you only because you are shaman...and of my kind." the chief said. "Enter the light." He then walked out of the dwelling.

"So, this is the tear between realms?" Yoh asked. Exile nodded and began to walk toward it.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ren yelled. "We're not going in there, are we?"

"We can't fix it from the outside." Exile replied. "The human realm has too many physical boundaries. In the spirit realm, the laws of the world don't apply." Everyone took a deep breath and watched him go in. Kirol and Suke ran in after him. After a few moments, Yoh and Anna followed, then Ren, Ryu, Lyserg, Jeanne, and Horo Horo. Pirika and Tamao frighteningly were last to enter.

* * *

Cliffhanger. Thanks to catesy, YamiandAnzu4ever, TrigunChic, and everyone who's reviewed my story so far. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. R & R plz. 


	7. The Spirit Realm

ShamanBlade is back. Sorry about the long wait. The holidays took some of my writing time away. Here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.

* * *

Inside the spirit realm, there was a bright light surrounding them. Vibrant colors flashed everywhere, and there appears to be no floor. Everyone was standing on air. 

"Like I said, no rules here." He walked on the invisible path like he'd seen it before.

"So, this is the Spirit Realm." Yoh said. He gazed around at the infinite abyss of color around him.

As they continued to walk down the non-existent path, Exile froze.

"Everyone get back." he said. Everyone was confused with what he said. Right then, a giant spirit dropped from above. It had a completely lurid appearance, having weak, straggling arms and wearing a torn red cape. Its face was just horrific; its eyes shooting out of its face and having the other facial features completely out of place.

"What is that thing?" Ryu said, stepping back. Exile flared his oversoul.

"That is a spirit, but not just any spirit." Exile said. "Remember that realm between heaven and hell I told you about? Well, that is the result of being sent to that area and never coming out. You become an irregular being, or as I call it, a Distorted Spirit." Tamao, Pirika, and Kirol were struck with total fear. Exile leaped up and slammed his gigantic weapon into the spirit. The creature howled in pain. Exile landed in front of it. The monster was crying in complete pain, but it immediately began to attack everyone. The shamans activated their oversouls and rushed at the monster. Bursts of furyoku burned the Distorted Spirit. It continued to reap in pain. Yoh jumped down from the monster.

"Everyone! Get back!" Yoh yelled. Exile and the others leaped away from the monster. "Shinkuu Buddhagiri!" Yoh slashed his oversoul sword and a wave of air tore into the creature, causing it to disappear.

"Nice work, Yoh!" Horo Horo said.

"Yes, Chief. Well done!" Ryu said. Ren scoffed at Yoh.

"Very good, Yoh!" Lyserg said.

"What was that?" Exile asked.

"My Shinkuu Buddhagiri, or should I say Amidamaru's Shinkuu Buddhagiri. Quite powerful, don't you think?" Yoh smiled.

"Yes, it was powerful. Those things usually take much more than a few attacks to bring down."

"But, how do creatures like that become so horrific in the first place?" Lyserg asked.

"Simple." Anna joined the conversation. "Exile said that the area between heaven and hell is complete darkness. That spirit was obviously completely shocked at the insane amount of strain in that area. It's spiritual figure was also strained as well."

"Correct, Miss Anna." Exile said. "These monsters are not like this by choice. The insane amount of pressure manipulated their spiritual structure. That thing was once human, and the realm between heaven and hell changed its spirit from its normal state to that thing."

"That's terrible!" Pirika said.

"I know. But, there is nothing we can do about that now. Right now, we must save the human and spirit realms." Exile said, as he began to walk on. Kirol and Suke continued to follow, and so did the rest of the group. "If we encounter any more of those, we must finish them quickly. There is no time to hang around fighting." Everyone nodded and walked along with him.

After what seemed like hours, Exile stopped. He did not activate his oversoul like he did with the many Distorted Spirits they encountered. He just froze.

"What is it?" Yoh asked.

"We're here." he replied.

"This is it? It looks like everything else in this place." Horo Horo said. Exile just stood there, completely focused on the unknown in front of them.

"I don't see it." Ren said. A giant pillar then rose from the ground, as if to counter their thoughts. Everyone was wide-eyed, except Exile. He rose his hand to the pillar.

"This pillar is made up of furyoku." Anna calmly said.

"It's so much furyoku. It's hard to believe it could all be concentrated into this one area." Yoh said. Exile's hand began to glow and the furyoku from the pillar drew a thin stream of it into his palm. The pillar then broke the stream, disappeared, and was replaced with another portal.

"What happened?" Tamao asked. Exile didn't answer. He just signaled everyone to follow him into the portal, which they did.

Inside was much brighter. The sky was visible, as if it was the real world again. But, everyone knew where they were.

"Heaven?" Lyserg asked. Exile nodded.

"Correct. This is heaven." he replied..

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Thanks to all who reviewed. Sorry again about the wait. The next chapter should arrive sooner than the last. Review plz and thank you. 


	8. Past

After a long break, ShamanBlade has returned with a new chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.

* * *

Everyone began to turn around and view the area. It was bright, vibrant, and full of life. Spirits roamed freely with their given halos, doing as they pleased. It seemed perfect. As everyone was looking around, nobody noticed that Exile had disappeared. Everyone except for Yoh. Yoh began to look around for Exile. After wandering in the light and asking countless spirits, Yoh discovered Exile, speaking with one of the haloed spirits.

"I've been fine." the angel said.

"Excellent, and I am pleased that you have forgiven me." Exile replied.

"No problems, friend. Your cause was just. It is good that I sacrificed my life for the earth below."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." Exile said. He then realized Yoh was watching. "Yoh, where are the others?"

"They're still exploring. But, what did that angel mean "sacrificed their life"? You...didn't kill them...did you?" Exile was silent, but then spoke up.

"I'm sorry if this hurts you, but I have killed in my lifetime. But, I fought for the realms."

"Your whole life? How long have the realms been broken?"

"Since I was born."

"What!"

"Yes, my life is the cause of the tear in the barrier."

"How!" Yoh asked.

"I shall tell you, but you cannot tell anyone, especially Kirol." Yoh nodded. "Fine. I am the cause of this all because I am a half-spirit. I communicate with both sides."

"But isn't that what all shamans do? Shamans exist on both planes. What is so wrong with that?" Yoh asked, confused.

"Shamans and half-spirits are similar, but overall, they are very different. I am truly half-dead. Half of my blood is living, the other dead. I am half-spirit."

"You're half dead? How?"

"My father was a shaman, like the most of us. My mother was too. They lived happily in the world. Until, one day, something happened. My mother went into the area between heaven and hell, in order to strengthen her powers. She died inside. My father was alone. But, in some strange way, my mother did not become a Distorted Ghost like we saw. She kept her original form. With her original form, she could send messages to my father through trances. She told him to wait. I was never born, but I was given life by my deceased mother, and her own spiritual energy, through my father's trances. That, in combination with my father's furyoku, was able to create me."

"Wow...I'm sorry." Yoh quietly said.

"But, my combination of living and dead blood was too much for the planes to take. To gather both types of energy from both parents and both planes, a door had to be opened. This door is the tear in the barriers. Demons from hell began to slip through the tear. To make it so the barrier could not be closed, the demons killed my father. But, I didn't die. My father carried enough furyoku to keep me alive."

"But, how could you live so long without human energy?"

"I discovered a way. I needed to gain more furyoku to live. So, I began to claim other spirits as my allies, one being Suke, my guardian. I held hundreds of spirits as allies and gained enough furyoku from many oversouls to live. As I grew older, I wanted to gain the strength my mother could not. I entered the Dividing Area. Unbelievably, I came out in one piece. I eventually realized that the Dividing Area doesn't make you stronger, but it makes your furyoku last longer. By repeatedly entering the abyss, I could get more furyoku. But, each entrance nearly destroyed my human blood. You should know, you traveled through Tartarus."

"I guess."

"But the problem still rose. I had the energy, but the door was letting fierce monsters into the human world. These monsters were ruthlessly attacking people and just couldn't stand for that. I had to close the door."

"But wouldn't closing the door end your life?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure. But, I can't let this all go on. These monsters are getting out quicker than we all know. A few years ago, two extremely strong entities escaped and began attacking villages. They nearly killed everyone."

"Everyone except for Kirol." Exile sighed.

"She told you, didn't she? Oh well. She's known for that."

"If you do leave, Kirol will be heartbroken." Exile looked away.

"I can't let her suffer. But, I can't let this rampage continue. She wouldn't want the world to be in such chaos." Yoh began to walk away.

"Don't worry. Everything will work out."

"Well you're optimistic." Exile said, sarcastically.

"I'm not being optimistic. I know it will all work out." Exile caught up to him.

"Remember, don't tell anyone." Yoh grinned at him.

"I won't." The two walked back to the group.

Everyone else was exploring when they returned, either wandering around or talking to some of the angel spirits. After rounding everyone up, Exile called their attention.

"We need to stay on course." he said, coldly.

"Yeah, remember that we need to save the realms." Yoh said. Everyone nodded in agreement. "So where to next, Exile?" Exile scanned the area.

"We need to find the Great Spirit." Everyone gasped.

"The Great Spirit!" they all said.

"I originally fought Yoh to get the power of the Shaman King. Without them, we can't gain the assistance of the Great Spirit. That's where you come in, Yoh. Use your powers as Shaman King to talk to the Great Spirit. Ask him how to seal the tear." Yoh nodded.

"Okay. I'll give it a shot." Yoh said, smiling.

"So, where do we go?" Ryu asked.

"Follow me." Exile said as he walked away. Everyone began to follow him toward a bright light. Everybody shielded their eyes, except Exile. The light began to clear away, and a huge building was in front of them.

"Wow." Tamao said in astonishment.

"Exile, how did you know?" Kirol asked. Exile flushed a bit and stammered into a sentence.

"I...uh...just did some research...and it said that it was here."

"You're so smart, Exile." she cheerfully replied.

"Uh, yeah." he said. "I know." Exile smiled to hide his secret further. As they approached the building, the huge doors opened. The stone trembled the platforms and stairs, allowing the group inside. Inside was a huge room with small doorways on the sides. An altar was at the end of a long hall in front of them. "Yoh." Exile said, signaling Yoh to go to the altar. Yoh nodded and walked to the altar. Small inscriptions were on the altar in a language many of them could not interpret. Yoh placed his hand on the altar, despite him not knowing what to do. A pillar of light sprung forth from the altar. A cloud of brightness filled the room.

"Great Spirit." Yoh said. A figure seemingly made of only light burst from the altar. No features appeared to be visible. The light then began to emit a somewhat haunting sound, like the eerie shrieks that the Distorted Spirits made, only more soothing. Yoh turned around.

"It says that the key to closing the door doesn't lie here in heaven. It's saying to go below. Way below." Yoh said.

"Into hell?" Kirol asked. Yoh nodded again. He turned around and bowed to the light figure as it disappeared back into the altar.

"The Great Spirit is a bit odd, don't you think?" Pirika said. "I didn't think it'd look like that."

"It doesn't. The Great Spirit would never show itself to anyone but the Shaman King. It's just how it all works." Exile said. "But we shouldn't be talking about that. The Great Spirit says that the key to sealing the tear is in hell. So, we must travel there." Exile could tell everyone was nervous. They looked away and were distracted by the wall designs. But, they had no choice.

They traveled back to the doorway which they came in and back to the colorful abyss. Distorted Spirits did not appear this time.

"Why aren't there any Distorted Spirits?" Lyserg asked.

"I don't know." Exile said. He was fixated on his goal and did not get distracted.

"So, how do we get to hell?" Yoh asked.

"Same way we got to heaven." Exile said. "We find the other area where the furyoku slips through." They continued to walk until Exile stopped again. Another pillar of spirit energy shot up, but this one was black. Pitch black. Like last time, the pillar seeped into his palm, then opened a portal. Everyone followed Exile in.

* * *

Sorry about the wait. I've been really busy. But thanks to those who've been reading and reviewing. I've also been wondering if I should continue this storyline with a sequel. Thanks to all who've helped me, and don't forget to review! 


	9. Savior of the Realms

It's been a long road, but this is the final chapter of Exile. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.

* * *

Unlike the last area, this one was dark. Small flickers of red fire appeared.

"I thought hell was a big fire pit." Ryu said.

"It is. But, the hellion spirits give it the fire. So many have escaped, there's no fire to light." Exile said.

"So with no spirits, there's no light?" Tamao asked.

"Right." Exile said. He lit up his oversoul. "Everyone, light up your oversouls." Yoh, Horo Horo, Ren, Ryu, and Lyserg lit their oversouls up. Their field of vision increased and the view was significantly better.

"So, which way?" Ren asked. Exile scanned through the light and walked toward one of the small red flickers of fire.

"This fire shows signs of spirits present in here. It's best that we follow them. The more life we see, the more clues we may get to finding the key." Exile followed a thin nearly-invisible path of red fire. Everyone followed him. The fire eventually began to grow bigger and more visible, and then becoming one huge flame. "This is it. We should be able to seal it here."

"How do you know?" Kirol asked. Exile did not answer. He just raised his hand, creating a huge light, which showed all of the realm. The realm, after being shown in the light, was barren and empty. No spirit was existent in the area. But, in front of Exile, stood a gigantic Distorted Spirit, shrieking and flailing like a dying animal. It's eyes were low and its mouth was drooling. It wore a black uniform, one could barely tell.

"What is this thing doing here?" Exile questioned. "No Distorted Spirits can be in hell. It's just not possible." The spirit pierced everyone's ears with its screeching. Its jagged arm slashed toward Exile, but he dodged the attack and rushed in with a lit oversoul. Yoh and the other battlers rushed in as well. They bludgeoned the figure with repeated attacks. The spirit shrieked more and swung its disfigure everywhere, causing the fighters to be pushed back. Then, something happened which surprised everyone. A clear voice could be heard from the ghost. It clearly began to speak.

"Do not fight me." Exile stood confused, as with the others. "I have suffered so much." Exile and the others disintegrated their oversouls.

"Why are you here?" Exile asked it.

"I have come to find the source of the break." it said. "I have traveled over the barrier for years, and wish the planes to be safe."

"Did you vanquish all of the hellion spirits?" Exile asked.

"Yes. They planned to take advantage of the tear and escape. I could not let that happen." A pause ran through.

"Listen to me." Exile replied. "I can repair this."

"You can?" it asked. Exile took a deep breath, preparing to reveal his secret. But, before he could, the ground began to shake. Exile cringed.

"What's happening?" Yoh asked.

"It's time." Exile quietly said.

"What do you mean?" Kirol called.

"It must be completed. The key is so close, it's causing ruptures in the planes. If the door is not closed, everything will be gone. The spirit plane, the human plane, everything." He walked toward Kirol and the others. "I must tell you all something. I am a half-spirit."

"A half-what!" Horo Horo yelled.

"A half-spirit. My father was a human and my mother a spirit. I am of both planes. I am the cause of the tear." Kirol gasped. "I am what is needed to make the portal disappear."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kirol asked.

"Because if I seal the hole, I will not have any energy to live. I'm sorry." Kirol's eyes began to fill with tears.

"You promised..." she said. Exile looked away.

"Kirol..." he quietly said. "You know I don't want to. I'd rather not. But, you almost got killed because of the break. Hellion spirits almost killed you. You know...that it's for the best." Exile reached out and hugged her. Kirol could not stop crying. Exile then kissed her lightly on the cheek and walked to the flame.

"No!" she yelled. She tried to run to the flame, but Yoh held her back. "Let me go, Yoh!"

"You know he has to." he calmly said. Exile's image began to weaken. His body disappeared into the fire, and the shaking stopped. "Everyone! The portal is closing! Let's go!" Everyone, including Kirol ran through the portal, and eventually, back into the human world. Kirol was still crying and getting comfort from Tamao and Pirika.

"Please stop crying, Kirol." Pirika said. But, she couldn't. Kirol just kept crying. She cried the whole way back to the inn. Eventually, Pirika and Tamao just let her cry. They all sat in the living room, watching her cry. Yoh then spoke up.

"Before we left heaven, Exile told me something." Kirol looked up.

"What?"

"He told me that you would want it that way."

"I don't!"

"Yes, you do." Ryu said. "I can tell."

"Yeah, I don't think you want a world full of demons and hellions." Lyserg said.

"But, Exile sacrificed himself for me..." Kirol said. "I just can't live with that."

"Exile knew you'd say that." Yoh said.

"Then, why did he have to die?" Kirol's tears ran onto her kimono. A creak could be heard from the door.

"Stop crying." a voice said. A figure stood at the door. It was Exile. "Just stop crying." Kirol slowly turned around. She gazed at Exile's body; it was tattered a bit. She immediately wrapped him in a hug.

"How did you get back?" Yoh asked.

"Let's just say that the Great Spirit said that he didn't know where to put me." he said, smiling.

"You big idiot!" Kirol screamed. "You scared me!" She was still crying, but this time, out of happiness.

"Like I said, everything will work out." Yoh said, smiling.

"Yup." Exile replied.

"This calls for a celebration!" Ryu said.

"Do we get food?" Horo Horo asked, anxious to eat. Everyone then went into the kitchen. Exile and Kirol stayed in the living room.

"Why did you have to do that?" Kirol asked.

"I'm alive, aren't I? The point is I kept my promise to you. It's best not to tell you of past sorrows. Let's have fun with the others, okay?" Exile cracked one of his rare smiles. Kirol continued to hug him.

"Thank you, Exile." she said. Exile wrapped his arm around her as they went into the room with the others.

Everyone walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Kirol was still crying a little at Exile's return. Tamao and Pirika were cooking food.

"Seriously, Exile, how did you get back?" Lyserg asked.

"Do you all really want to know?" Exile said. Everyone nodded. "Well, I walked into the fire and felt my body begin to burn. The pain was intense, but closing the door was all that was on my mind. I slowly felt my spirit drift across the barrier and into the spirit realm." He placed his hands together and leaned on them. "The spirit world was exactly as we all saw it at first: a bizarre place full of color. I walked along the empty path of light. No spirits attacked me; the road was a peaceful one. I arrived back into heaven and the Great Spirit's judgement area. The bright light still rose at the altar. 'Judge me, Great One.' I said. The light manipulated back into the human-like form, then into a more familiar form. The light became all of you." The others were shocked.

"Why would the Great Spirit look like us!" Horo Horo said.

"The Great Spirit then said to me through the forms of you all that I needed to stay alive. That my life was important to you all and that if I died, it would only lead to more suffering. Through this, I was granted another life."

"So we helped you come back to life?" Kirol asked.

"Yes." Exile replied. "But I am still puzzled why I could even be alive with no spirit energy in my body. Without it, I'm just made of furyoku, and that could not make life."

"Don't worry about it." Yoh said. "That point is you're here and alive. No point in worrying about what you can't control." Exile looked away for a second.

"Yeah, but..."

"Exile..." Kirol said. "You're alive. You offered your life to protect us and the rest of the human and spirit worlds. Your generosity allowed you to get another chance, not us." Exile was still puzzled by all this, but Kirol's kind words always made him happy.

"I'm being a real idiot, with all this disappointment. Sorry everyone." he apologized.

"No problem." everyone said. As the food was delivered to the table by Tamao and Pirika, everyone began to eat. Horo Horo was scarfing down his food while Tamao was occasionally passing glances. Pirika was getting him to slow down while Ren was making smart remarks and Ryu was laughing. Yoh laughed at that too, along with Manta, Lyserg, and Jeanne, until Anna shut everyone up. Once everyone was done arguing, laughing, and fighting, Exile and Kirol began to laugh out of all the silence. The others looked at each other, completely confused.

"You all truly are my friends." Exile said. "I've grown accustomed to your fighting. Who would have thought?" Exile and Kirol stood up. "We should be going. It's a long walk home."

"Awww..." Everyone said.

"Don't worry. I have a feeling that our paths will cross again. Perhaps sooner than any of us think." The two walked to the door, followed by Yoh and the others. "Goodbye everyone." Exile said.

"Bye." Kirol said, waving. Exile and her began to walk, but Exile stopped sharply.

"Yoh..." he said.

"Yeah?" Yoh replied.

"Someday, I want to fight you again. But not for the title. Just a friendly battle."

"No problem, Exile." Yoh said. Exile and Kirol waved to the others, with Suke floating above them. Yoh and the others, along with their spirits, waved as well. As the shaman, spirit, and girl disappeared over the horizon, Kirol spoke up.

"Well, you didn't become Shaman King."

'Yeah." Exile replied. Kirol hung onto his arm.

"You'll always be my Shaman King." she said, smiling at him. Exile smiled back.

"C'mon. Let's go home." Exile said, as the three moved forward toward their home.

THE END

* * *

Thank you to all who helped me out with this story. Thanks to the reviewers: yoh no iinazuke, review lord, crazywriter, TrigunChic, YamiandAnzu4ever, catesy, and Glenn. But don't think this is the end of Exile: I already have a sequel prepared. I wish to make the sequel as good as the first. Look for it soon. Once again, thanks to the readers, reviewers, and all who made this possible. 


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